All eyes will be on the ANC’s integrity committee today as it announces its decision on whether President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala scandal has brought the party into disrepute.
Ramaphosa has approached the Constitutional Court to challenge the recommendations of the Section 89 independent panel report, which found prima facie evidence that he may have violated the Constitution regarding steps taken to investigate the theft of a large sum of foreign currency from his farm and the subsequent cover-up.
An ANC national executive committee (NEC) member who attended Monday’s meeting said there was very little confidence that any ANC processes would hold Ramaphosa to account, especially after contradicting views were shut down at the meeting.
“There were at least 35 members who wanted to ask questions, but the meeting was closed and they walked away.
“Mbeki was furious and so were Dlamini Zuma, Zweli Mkhize and Sisulu. There is a feeling that nothing will happen internally and through ANC processes and this issue will be raised at the elective conference.”
Parliament is due to meet on Tuesday to vote on whether Ramaphosa’s action calls for the establishment of an impeachment committee to probe whether the president violated his oath of office.
Senior ANC sources say the integrity committee can bring into play the step-aside resolution but can only do so with the permission of the NEC which has already made clear its stance.
Acting secretary-general Paul Mashatile on Monday said the NEC had resolved that the ANC would vote against the adoption of the panel report as Ramaphosa is taking it on review.
Political analyst Professor Bheki Mngomezulu said he did not expect anything dramatic from the integrity committee.
“We find with most issues regarding the president, the committee does not rule against him. The National Working Committee and special NEC was supposed to support and allow the parliamentary process to continue but instead defended the president.”
Another analyst, Professor Sipho Seepe, said whatever conclusion the integrity committee reached, it would still have to defer to the NEC.
“The committee cannot run away from the fact that Ramaphosa has brought the ANC into serious disrepute.
“His activities have also been covered by international media and his private affairs have affected both government and the ANC,” said Seepe.
He said the National Working Committee had disregarded the issue of bringing the party into disrepute and instead focused on the legal aspects of the matter.
“The integrity committee makes decisions based on the balance of probabilities … it looks at the damage an individual has done to the party and if it is not doing that then it has failed and should not continue.”
In November, Ramaphosa told the NEC he was not around when a businessman arrived at his farm to purchase buffaloes and that he could not have known that those at his farm then kept the money in couches and mattresses.
Ramaphosa’s explanation was, however, rejected by several NEC members who called for him to step aside.
The step-aside resolution was adopted at the 2017 Nasrec policy conference. It was in that conference that a decision was taken for those charged with corruption to voluntarily step aside and for those facing allegations of corruption to face the integrity committee.
It has since been changed to those charged with corruption must step aside.